Fun House
Opening spiel (after theme song): It's time for Fun House! Wacky contestants, messy games, The Fun Kart Grand Prix Race, and a crazy chase to win lots of prizes! Now here's the guy that puts the FUN in FUN HOUSE, PAT SHARP! Fun House was a game show based on the American version of the same name. Premise Just like in the original version, two teams of two children (wearing yellow and red shirts) competed. Gameplay Main Game Round 1: Messy Games Three messy games were played to start off the game. The games typically used gunge rather than food. From Series 1 to 7 the contestants were usually barefoot when playing the messy games, this was discontinued from Series 8 until the show's end. One game would feature the boys from each team, another the girls and the remaining game was a team game involving all four contestants. (Although occasionally in later series, there were shows that had 3 team games). The order of the games varied from episode to episode. One of the games was dubbed a "key game", in which the losers of the game earned points relative to their score at the end of the stunt. (Or in series 6, the runners up would receive 10 points regardless of their score at the end of the stunt). The three messy games in the programme were changed every episode. As with the US version of the show, each of the messy games had a question round afterward, in which the team that got the answer to the question right would win another 25 points. Round 2: The Fun Kart Grand Prix Series 1–5 Rules There were three laps in the Grand Prix, (2 in Series 1 & 2). The first lap was where the first team member collected up their relevant "10" tokens, each time they collect up a "10" token, they win 10 points. The second lap was where the second team member collected up the "25" tokens. The final lap was a "power lap" in which the first team member that went round the course first had to finish the race to pick up 25 extra points. (There was no power lap in Series 1 & 2.) Tokens dropped on the floor by the contestants were not counted. Each time the go karts came round to lap, the driver was swapped with the other team member. The points would be added up by Sharp collecting the tokens from the team members and dropping them into a red/yellow box (the colour of the box depending on which team's points he is adding up). He added up the points in his head while dropping them in, and the results would be shown on the little LED screen on the team's podium. Series 6–7 Rules In early 1995, there were 3 laps in the grand prix. The 10 and 25 point tokens were replaced with silver tokens with a blue stripe in the middle and these were worth 25 points each. The first lap was for the first team member and they collected a maximum of four of these tokens. The second and third laps was for the second team member where they collected a maximum of four on the second lap and whatever was left on the third lap. There was no driver changeover between the second and third lap. There were a maximum of 10 silver tokens to collect in the three laps and the winning team would receive 50 points. The points would be added up by Sharp collecting the tokens from the team members and dropping them into a box on either side of the desk. He added up the points in his head while dropping them in, and the results would be shown on the little LED screen on the team's podium. The format was changed back to the original format in late 1995 with the 10 and 25 point tokens, but they collected the 25 point tokens on the first lap and the 10 point tokens on the second lap. The third lap was a speed lap and the winning team received 25 points. Series 8–9 Rules In 1996, the tokens were replaced with buttons/plungers placed around both sides of the go-kart track and in addition, the track now has starting lights at the starting line to give Pat Sharp and the audience a five-second countdown before starting the race for the teams. The first lap was where the first team member had to hit their relevant "10" buttons in order to win ten points for each time they press one. The buttons would not retract ("spring out"), so once it is pressed in, the contestant cannot cheat by pressing it in again. The second lap was where the second team member hit the "25" buttons for twenty-five points. The final lap was where the first team member had to speed up and win the race and also pick up 25 extra points. The buttons were connected to a computer (one computer per team) which would add up the total scores as the team members hit the buttons. The results would be shown on a set of lights when Sharp hit the button on top of the team's podium. There would be two columns of lights on both sets of lights. One was for "10" buttons pressed and one was for "25" buttons pressed. As before, the points would be shown on the LED screens on the team member's podium. Also as before, the team member driving the go-kart changed every time a lap was completed. Series 10–11 Rules In 1998, the buttons were replaced with wheels. There were four metal wires hanging above the track with all four steering wheels attached. There are 4 steering wheels for each team bringing the maximum total points to 100. The first lap was a "power up" lap, the second lap was for the second team member to collect their first 2 wheels, the third lap was for the first team member to collect the second 2 wheels, and the fourth lap was another power-up lap where the second team member has to win the race and collect an extra 50 points, (25 in 1999). Wheels dropped on the floor were not counted and neither were wheels collected on the first and final laps. As before, the team member driving the go kart changed as the go kart came round to lap. The points for collecting the steering wheels were added up by an off-screen member of the production crew and the results of each team were then programmed into the relevant computers. The results were shown on the lights, as before, by Pat Sharp hitting the button on top of the team's podium. The results, as usual were then shown in numbers on the LED screen on the team's podium. Bonus Round: The Fun House In the UK version of the show, to actually win the power prize, they not only had to grab the tag, they also had to answer one question (often multi-parted) correctly within 10 seconds. Also, the only prizes in the Fun House were non-monetary because of a law in Europe stating that children cannot win money on game shows. The Fun House itself was completely different from the US version. In that version the Fun House itself was actually designed like a house, whereas in the UK version it was designed like a Funhouse ride that is often found at fairgrounds. Fun House Designs Series 1–4 Much smaller but more colourful than later ones. It is almost entirely different from later versions. Series 5 Much larger than the previous version and had a recurring theme of a bully (an inflatable figurine of such a person) in the Fun House, this included the inflatable bully at the back that was the same size as the Fun House. Series 6–9 The bully element was removed from the show and the space previously occupied by the large bully figure at the back incorporated some flashing coloured lights and fake 'windows' to emphasize the 'house feel'. This was accompanied by colourful flashing studio lamps whereas the final run in previous series simply had the same studio lighting level that had been present throughout the entire episode. Series 10 The Fun House was completely re-built, but much based on the 1993 – 1997 version (although the big leap changed from another tube slide to some giant steps). This included the Fun House being coloured of only red and yellow, instead of the multi-coloured Fun House used previously. The front entrance area was completely re-designed. This included the removal of the "Fun House" logo hanging above the entrance and the removal of the two car-wash style spirals, being replaced by two stacks (one at either side) with blocks on top, each one having a Fun House logo on it. Also, this Fun House seemed larger than the previous incarnations, and certain parts of it were completely re-designed (the Snake Pit, for example, instead of simply being a multicoloured box with springy snakes inside, became a more traditional snake basket). Also, when Pat Sharp introduced the Fun House at the start of each episode, from this point on, there were more explosions and firework bangs in the Fun House rather than simply two spark machines either side of the Fun House entrance logo. These "improved" explosions also included a few smoke machines to give a better impression of the special effects and along with sound effects throughout the teams 'run' through the fun-house added to the 'wackyness' and atmosphere. Also, a wall of stacked boxes was added at the entrance of the fun house after Gary King announced the episode's prizes, and the 1st player would plow through the wall to start the round when Pat said go. Series 11 The final version was a slight re-designing of the Fun House. This included a change to the Big Leap from a tall fireman's pole leading to the giant steps to a zip-line seat built to carry the player from the top of the Fun House to the bottom ball pool. Fun House Obstacles (in order of first appearance) First Three Series NOTE: These obstacles are listed in order of the series they first appeared in, from left to right, and top to bottom. =Series 1 = *'Punch the Panels' – A window of panels *'Tube' – Rotating tunnel connecting Punch the Panels and the Volcano *'Volcano' – Small Climbing Wall *'Rope Bridge' – Connecting Volcano and Weather Box *'Weather Box' – A cloud containing snow released by three levers *'Balloon Tree' – A number of silver helium filled balloons to act as a cloud *'Steps' – Steps connecting Punch the Panels to Pots of Gold *'Lava Slide' – Straight Slide connecting the Volcano and Lava Pool *'Slalom' – A white zig-zag slide from the Weather Box to the Snow Drift *'Pots of Gold' – Three pots of gold to rummage in *'Bridge' – A bridge connecting the Pots of Gold to the Lava Pool *'Lava Pool' – Red ball pool at the bottom of the Lava Slide *'Pumping Pistons' – Crawl space connecting the Lava Pool and Snow Drift *'Snow Drift' – White ball pool at the bottom of the Slalom *A series of steps, ladders and slides *'Engine Room' *'Balloon Tunnel' *'Lava Swamp' – A series of difficult to climb through foam letters spelling out 'FUN'; in the second series, they became inflatable. =Series 2 = *'Box of Tricks' – Now a computer panel than a window (Replaced Punch the Panels) *'Cloud 9' – Replaced the Balloon Tree and Weather Box *'Tied Up In Nets' – A net tunnel (Replaced the Bridge) *'Lava Flow' – The middle 'volcano' ball pool was renamed, and the bottom ball pool became the Lava Pool *'Lava Cleaner' – An update to the Pumping Pistons *'Cog Wheels' – A series of cogs spinning on the wall at the edge of the Lava Swamp =Series 3 = *'The Temple' – Each of three skulls when pressed would reveal creature from the temple (Replaced Box of Tricks) *'The Python' – A snake wrapped around the Tube *'Temple Doors' – One of four levers would open the doors to the temple (Replaced the Volcano) *'Aztec Wall' – A series of holes in a temple wall (Replaced Cloud 9) *'Net Maze' – An update to Tied Up In Nets *'The Masher' – An update to the Pumping Pistons *'Test Tube' – The lava pool had added test tubes Series 4 NOTES: This Series saw a major redesign, and provided the most used layout. There were many additional ladders, and slides, not all of which had prizes attached to them. The entrance was straight into the ball pit which had three possible routes from it: to the left the balloon tunnel; to the right the monster maze; and straight ahead to go up to the raised middle platform. Also, these obstacles are listed from left to right, and bottom to top. *'Balloon Tunnel' – A tunnel filled with balloons, it was the lengthiest obstacle to complete and had a right hand bend in it before requiring a climb to the middle platform to get out of it. *'Monster Maze' – An area at the front of the fun house filled with hanging punchbag monsters. *'Skelter Belter' – A helter-skelter like slide which lead to the bottom ball pool of the Fun House from the middle platform. *'Climbing Net' (a.k.a. Net Ladder) – A net to climb up to the top of the Fun House. From here there were three directions: the Flying Fox (back left); The Bob Sleigh (front left) or the Danger Net (front right). *'Danger Net' – A net bridge which lead to the wild slide. *'Wild Slide' – A very steep and fast tube slide from the Danger Net to the ball pool. *'Flying Fox' – A zip line which went from the top of the Climbing Net to the Firemans Pole and/or Crawl Tube *'Crawl Tube (a.k.a. Tumbling Tube)' – A big plastic tube to crawl through *'Firemans Pole' – A long pole similar to a firemans pole to slide down from the top to the middle of the fun house. *'Ball Run' – A long ball pit at the back of the fun house reachable from the Firemans Pole *'The Bob Sleigh' – A bob sleigh which went down a large slide from the top of the fun house which lead to the Sneaky Slip-n-Slide, In the fourth series, it was a skateboard; for the rest of the run, however, it was changed to a Cresta-Run style cart with volts and sparks. *'Sneaky Slip-n-Slide' – Another tube slide opposite the wild slide, but less steep and fast. Series 5 NOTE: From this series to the end of the seventh, these obstacles only appeared in one series. *'Hole In The Wall' – A wall with 5 holes, with the tag hidden behind one of them. The "holes" were actually pictures of the Bully's family (at the top of the Climbing Net) *'Bully' – A giant head of a bully with giant teeth, the contestant had to punch his teeth to get the tag (at the entrance to the Balloon Tunnel) *'Trash Cans' – 3 rubbish bins filled with rubbish. After the tag was dropped, it was hidden inside one of the bins (in front of the Monster Maze) Series 6 *'Crazy Cuckoo (a.k.a. Clock Room)' – A giant bird coop with a green bird puppet inside, with its head sticking out the door. The tag was hidden somewhere around the coop. *'Machine Room' – A room full of cartwheels, where the prize tag was hidden in one of the petals of one of the cartwheels. *'Connections Wall' – A wall with trunks inside, and the player had to make the right connection to one of the trunks in order to grab the tag. Series 7 *'Jungle Jump' – A redesigned fireman's pole with jungle like tree leaves on it *'Stone Faces' – Hawaiian like stones with holes in their mouths, and the player had to punch out the right hole of that stone face to grab the tag (at the top of the Climbing Net) *'Pullovers' – A closet like area full of long sleeved sweat-shirts with a tag hidden in one of the sleeves of one of the shirts (in front of the Balloon Tunnel) *'Hungry Burgers' – An area with 3 cheeseburgers, and one of the burgers had the tag hidden somewhere in its patty (in front of the Monster Maze) Series 8 NOTE: Most obstacles here only lasted this series. *'Giant Steps' – A giant staircase at the front of the house, connecting the ball pool with the middle floor (This obstacle replaced the Helter Skelter and was the only obstacle to remain past this series) *'Angular Triangular' – A box with two triangle-shaped spinning shelves inside, and the tag was hidden somewhere on one of the shelves (at the top of the Climbing Net) *'Magic Curtain' – A foam rubber curtain which the contestant could walk through on the middle floor *'Turning Twister' – A box with 5 spinning circles (opposed to Angular Triangular), in which the tag was hidden in one of the circles (More like the Hole In The Wall) (in front of the Balloon Tunnel) Series 9 *'Snake In The Box' – A box filled with snakes. Notice the title sounds more like a Jack In The Box, but much different than a real Jack in the Box, at the top of the Net Climb *'A Frame' – A climbing frame in the shape of a capital A (Replaced the Magic Curtain) *'Gong Crazy' – A large box with a polystyrene gong at the front; the contestant had to smash it open to get the tag (in front of the Monster Maze) (This obstacle only lasted this series) Series 10 NOTES: This series saw another redesign, although not quite so dramatic. Several elements were kept as were the major platforms. The Snake In The Box, Firemans Pole, Flying Fox, Ball Run, Climbing Net, A-Frame, Giant Steps, Danger Net, Crawl Tube, and Wild Slide were untouched. *'Balloon Tunnel' – A tunnel filled with balloons, it became half the length and was entirely straight and relocated to the right hand side of the ground floor. *'The Bob Sleigh' – The Bob Sleigh was redesigned to reach a set of steps *'Sunken Well' - An area with 4 long plastic tubes, with ropes attached to them, and one of the tags was also attached to one of the ropes of that tube (on the platform after the Flying Fox) *'Tall Tower' – A very large tower with a ladder to climb up to the top of the Fun House, which also lead to the end of the Crawl Tube. *'The Big Leap' – A big firemans pole near the Crawl Tube which dropped the player off to the top of the Giant Steps (This obstacle only lasted this series) Series 11 *'The Big Drop' – A zip-line seat built to carry the player from the top of the Fun House to the bottom ball pool (This obstacle replaced The Big Leap and the Giant Steps for this series) Theme Lyrics It's Wacky! It's Fun! It's Cr-a-a-a-zy! It's outrageous! Fun House, It's a whole lot of fun, Prizes to be won! It's a real crazy show where anything can go! Fun House, It's a quiz, It's a race, It's a real wacky place! Use your body and your brain! If you wanna play the game! Quotes "Here's the Fun House!" - Pat Sharp "Let's welcome our twin cheerleaders, Melanie and Martina!" - Pat Sharp "Here are the players! Bring them on!" - Pat Sharp "Who do you have Melanie/Martina?" - Pat Sharp "I have (insert names) from (insert location) and they attend the (insert school)! YAY!" - Melanie/Martina "Good luck to the/our players in the Fun House today!" - Pat Sharp "Let's go to our first/next challenge!" - Pat Sharp "Ready? GO!" - Pat Sharp (to begin the challenges) "RED! RED! RED! RED!/YELLOW! YELLOW! YELLOW! YELLOW!" - The audience would chant this to cheer on their teams while they are playing the physical games. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, FUN HOUSE!" - The audience would count down the remaining time on the clock during the games and then when time runs out, they shout "FUN HOUSE!" "Okay guys, stop right there. Melanie/Martina, how many (insert objects) does the red/yellow team have?" - Pat Sharp "We got (insert number) of (insert objects)! YAY!" - Melanie/Martina "It's a draw/tie!" - Pat "Red/yellow wins!" - Pat "Let's (have a) replay (of) some of that game, shall we?/Rerun the fun!" - Pat (when asked to show replays of the previous game played) "Red/yellow, since you won the last challenge/game, you get 25 points! Well done!" - Pat "Since it was a draw/tie, you each get 25 points! Well done!" - Pat "Since the girls/boys played the last challenge, this question is for you, boys/girls! (insert question)?" - Pat "Correct, that's another 25 points to your score!" - Pat "No, sorry. Incorrect." - Pat "The answer was (insert correct answer)." - Pat Episodes Episodes of Fun House (UK)Category:General Knowledge Quiz Category:Stunts & Dares Category:Kid shows Category:ITV Shows Category:Long-Running Category:American Formats Category:1989 premieres Category:1999 endings